Dispensing device



Patented May 8, 1928.

VICTOR KELLEY, OF M ADISON, WISCONSIN.

DISPENSING nEvicE.

Application filed April 2,

* acter are commonly known. as vending Inachines, and" are equipped with means for dispensing the articles one at a time, such means being controlled as to'its operation by a coin-operated lockingand releasing n'iechanism.

Devices of thischaracter in order to prevent theft require to be equipped with means for preventing unauthorized manipulation of the machine commonly known as picking; and to that end various means have heretofore been proposed to guard the package delivery opening or openings of the machine against access at all times except when a package is being discharged therefrom.

The present invention relates to that type of dispensing devices wherein the packages are piled up in a pair of upright storage compartments or bins disposed side by side with side'openings at their lower ends, and are discharged through said openings alternately from the two compartments by a horizontally movable ejector which also functions to alternately support the two stacks of packages as the lowermost'p'ackage is pushed out, the movement of the ejector us it dischargesthe lowermost package of one stack simultaneously permitting the lowcrn'iost package of the other "stack to drop to a position in which it will be discharged on the next movement of the ejector. The principal object of the present invention is toprovide, in a dispensing device of this character, an improved means for guarding each side opening against unauthorized extraction of a package therefrom when the ejector has discharged a package through the opposite side opening, at which time the ejector itself functions. asa guard for the latter opening. Another object'is to provide a guard mechanism of simple and inexpensive construction and of superior efficiency to prevent theft or picking of the machine. Other objects and attendant advantages'of the invention will'be apparent to persons skilled in the art as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which 1927. S.eria1 1q'o.180,408.

I have illustrated a simple" andpractical embodiment of the invention, and wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the device; 'FigQ2 isa vertical section on a larger scale taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; V i

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectioinin a plane at right angles to that of Fig 2, takeiron the line 33 of Fig. 2 and lookin'gffomthe rear;

Fig. 4. is a vertical section through' the base andlower portion of the casing taken on the line 4+4 of Fig.2and looking from the front;

Fig. 5 is a lnn'izontal section taken line 55 of Fig. 2.

on the Referring to tlle drawings, A designates as an entirety a base and B" a rectangular sheet-metal casing mounted on said base, the whole constituting a hollow upright structure in which arehoused the articles to be dispensed and the dispensing in'echa-' nism. The base A, in the form shown, i s a skeleton casting formed 'Wlllll a bottoin framelO, feet 11, low front andrearj walls 12' and 13,"and low side walls 14, to" the up per edge of which walls the lower. end of the casing B 1s secured. The casing B'JS' interiorly divided by a vertical partition 15" into front and rear comj'iartments I6 and 17 (Fig. 2), and the front compartment is in turn divided by a vertical partition '18 into a pair of twin storage com'partn'ients or bins 1 9 (Fig. 4) for the articles to be dis pensed, such, for 'exa1nple,"as boxes'or packages of matches indicated i-ir'Fig.- 4.

On thebottom frame 10 of the base is mounted a flat sheet-metal bottom plate 20 'resting itsf'ront and rear" edge portions on a pair of hinge straps 21, the plate 20 and straps 21 being secured to'the' base frame by screws 22. In the opposite side walls 1 L of the base are formed a pair of horizontally aligned delivery openings 23 slightly larger than the articles tobe dis pensed.

To the back of the artition 15 is pivoted at24; (Fig. 2) a depending "pendulumfbar 25', the lower end of which isbent forwardly and then downwardly as shown at 25 and has attached thereto an ejector26' preferably taking the form of a hollow. sheet-metal member having the general shape of, but slightly smaller than, the articles to bedispensed. This ejector26is supported by its movement it ejects said lowermost package through one of the side openings 23 at the same time sliding beneath and supporting the remaining packages in that compa-rta ment and permitting the lowermost package in theother compartment to drop onto the bottom plate 20.

Referring now to the means for actuating the ejector 2S and guarding the openings 23, wherein the present invention chiefly resides, 27 designates each of a pair of guard plates that are hinged at their lower edges substantially in or slightly below the plane of the bottom plate 20. The specific means for pivoting these guard plates herein shown consists of knuckles 21 formed on the ends of the hinge straps 21 a central knuckle 27 formed on the lower edge of each guard plate 27, and a hinge pintle 28 extending through said knuckles. On the rear upper corner of each guard plate 27 is an inwardly bent lug 29 to which is pivoted a link 30. The inner ends of the two links 30 are pivotally mounted on a'stud 31 (Fig. 2) that is mounted in the pendulum bar 25. The links 30 are of such length that when one of the guardplates 27 is in a position closing i s opening 23, as shown at the left in Fig. 4, the other guard plate 27 is open to permit the ejector 26 to deliver a package through its opening 23, as shown at the right in Fig, 4. That is to say, a fully closed position of either guard plate is always accompanied by a fully opened position of the other guard plate. The device is actuated by merely exerting a push with the finger on the open guard plate. As it is thereby swung to closed position, the ejector is actuated and at the same time the opposite guard plate is opened by the thrust transmitted through the two links 30.

As above stated, machines of this character are almost universally equipped with coin-operated mechanism forlocking and releasing the ejector device, and in Figs. 2 and 3 I have indicated the presence of such mechanism, but the same is not herein described since it constitutes the subject-matter of an earlier application filed by me on the 17th trolling said openings, and actuating con-1' nections between said e ector and both of said guards adapted, when either of said guards 1s swung to closed position, to open the other.

2. An embodiment of claim 1 wherein the guards controlling the openings take the form of plates hinged at their lower edges on the base opposite said openings.

3. In an article dispensing device of the character described, the combination of a base having a flat bottom plate, side walls, and article delivery openings in said side walls, a casing mounted on said base con taining storage compartments.disposed side by side, a bar suspended from a wall of said. casing, an ejector on the lower end of said bar movable across the lower ends of said compartments between said openings, guard plates hinged at their lower edges to said base opposite said openings, and connections between said bar and said plates through which, when either of said plates is swung to closed position, the other is swung to open position and the ejector is actuated to discharge an article onto the open guard plate.

A. In an article dispensing device of the character described, the combination of a base having a flat bottom plate, side walls, and article delivery openings in said side walls, a casing mounted on said base containing storage compartments disposed side by side, a bar suspended from a wall of said casing, an ejector on the lower end of said bar movable across the lower ends of said compartments between said openings, guard plates hinged at their lower edges to said base opposite said openings, and links pivot ally connecting said bar to said plates, said links being of such length that when either of said plates is swung to closed position the other is opened sufficiently to allow said ejector to discharge an article through the opening guarded thereby.

VICTOR H. KELLEY. 

